holley



PATENTED APR. 19, 1859.

A. L. HOLLBY. CHAIR FOB. RAILROADS.

TINTTED STATES BATENT @FFTQE.

A. L.-HOLLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHAIR FOR RAILBOADS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,688, dated April 19, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER L. HOLLEY, of'the State, county, and city of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Permanent \Vay of Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in preserving the continuity of the rail-ends by means of brackets so attached to the fish or splice pieces and to a tension plate, that the weight of the wheels of the train on the rail keeps the said splices tightly in their places without the aid of bolts and nuts, or keys, or rivets.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

Figure l is a full sized end elevation of the rail A and the tension plate B, the splice C, and the bracket 1), which bracket in this case is cast with and forms a part of the splice C.

Fig. 2 is a plan size) of the same parts. The tension plate B in this case forms a chair for the ends of the rails and rests on.

4 the sleeper E; the bracket D also rests on the sleeper E and holds the splice C in its place. The splice cannot slip out of its place, away from the rail, without forcing the bracket D into the sleeper. When the wheels press down on the rail, it sinks more or less, by forcing the chair or tension piece B into the sleeper. But if the splice piece C is not in close contact with the rail at a and Z), so as to form a perfect splice, the sinking of the rail will carry down the splice C, but the sleeper will prevent the bracket D from being carried down, till it has forced the splice G into its place, so that the whole splice and bracket C D will act as a lever of which 0 resting on the hook (I of the tension plate B is the fulcrum, and theupper part of the piece 0 will be forced toward the rail and wedged in between the ables of the rail, so as to form a perfect splice. However tight or loose the splice C may be between the tables of the rail, the greater the weight on the top of the rail, the tighter the splice C will be wedged into its place.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of the foot 0 of the rail turned up to form a hook and tension piece, corresponding to the hook (Z and the tension piece B of Fig. 1.

Fig. at shows a ring h let into the sleeper i E and acting as a tension piece between two brackets, one on each side of the rall. The

splice C, Fig. 4,)may be separate from the bracket D, the racket acting to hold and force the splice into its place, as in Fig. 1. In the case of double headed rails, the lower table may be preserved from abrasion on a chair, by suspending the rail entirely bracket to clear the flange of the wheel, I

two brackets and two splices may be used, one on each side of the rail. The hook (Z of the tension piece B, Fig. 1, and the projection c of the splice C may be formed tapering as represented in Fig. 1, so that the splice C forming a wedge may be tightened and forced between the tables of the rail by driving on the end of the splice C. The surfaces of contact of the splice C and the bracket 1 Fig. 4: at m and n, may also taper, for the same purpose. A single spike at S, Fig. 1, may be used to prevent the bracket from slipping endwise out of its place.

Among the advantages of my said invention are the following, viz: In the case of rails of good height (a great advantage in itself) and not unnecessarily full under the head, the insertion of splices between the upper and lower tables of the rail is by far the most feasible method of preserving the continuity of the rails, because the fastenings of the splice have only to hold it laterally in its place, While if the splice is under the rail, its fastenings have to resist the total weight of the train. Hence the fish-joint and various of its modifications have proved so exceedingly valuable, with one exception, viz: the rivets or bolts and nuts with which the fish joint is fastened, invariablybreak or loosen, requiring constant setting up and renewal and involving great cost and trouble in their maintenance. My invention is designed to preserve the invaluable features, to remedy the deflects, and to lessen the first cost of the fish-joint: 1st. Itpreserves the continuity of the rails as well as the best bolted joint; 2nd. It keeps itself-tight; 3rd. It dispenses with bolts and nuts and rivets; cth. It dispenses with heavy chairs which operate as an anvil on which the rail is rapidly crushed; 5th. It gives a very large bearing surface on the sleeper; 6th. It is cheaper than a bolted joint.

Having thus described my said invention, What I claim therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- The combination of the splice C and the bracket D (the said splice and bracket being either the same piece or separate pieces) with the foot of the rail 6, acting as a tension piece, or with a separate tension piece B, in the manner and for the purposes substantially as described.

S. D. CozzENs, F. C. ABBOTT. 

